This article introduces the topic of the special issue, 'Public education at the crossroads', by pointing to some of the debates and controversies surrounding the topic of public education and by framing the theme, while explaining the context and some components of the educational systems of the countries under examination -- namely the USA and Germany. In both countries, control of public education is seen as the states' responsibility within the respective nation states. Despite different developments, both countries are experiencing similar challenges to public education; for example, highly diverse classroom settings, pressure from neoliberal politics, or debates about citizenship education in a world that is increasingly globalized on the one hand, and facing growing nationalism on the other. Finally, this introduction presents articles in this special issue that further discuss the competing factors bringing public education to a new crossroads.